Being in an open relationship isn’t the same as being polyamorous.

A sex researcher explains the difference. By Julia Naftulin If you’ve never been in a non-monogamous relationship or aren’t close to someone who is, chances are the words “open relationship” or “polyamory” conjure up the same images of people who have sex with multiple partners. In reality, consensually non-monogamous relationships can take on many different …

How Young People Are Redefining Sexuality And Romantic Attraction

by Rory Gory Pansexual, skoliosexual, asexual biromantic. How young queer people are identifying their sexual and romantic orientations is expanding—as is the language they use to do it. More than 1 in 5 LGBTQ youth use words other than lesbian, gay, and bisexual to describe their sexualities, according to a new report based on findings …

What Happens to Relationships When Sex Hurts

Women who suffer from the chronic-pain condition vulvodynia often feel isolated from their partners. But a better medical understanding is helping. By Ashley Fetters In her 18 years as a sex therapist in Orange County, California, Stephanie Buehler has come to recognize a certain tense, fraught dynamic in couples when a female partner has vulvodynia. …

What does a healthy open relationship look like?

In a culture that favors monogamy, is it possible for couples to have open relationships that work? Recent research that used a novel framework to explore types of monogamy and nonmonogamy suggests that open, consensual nonmonogamous relationships can be healthy and satisfying. by Catharine Paddock, Ph.D. The new study does not draw sweeping conclusions about …

These 3 Qualities Better Equip You For Nonmonogamy

By Kelly Gonsalves Open relationships are becoming increasingly popular, and with good reason: They allow people to connect with each other in ways that make sense for their real needs and lifestyles, removing monogamous expectations that don’t work for everybody and allowing for more ways of relating to each other. Even for those who are …

Sex Education Rally Reminds Teens “You Are Not Chewed Gum”

“There is no shame in having all the information possible.” By Katelyn Burns “You are not chewed gum,” read an art display featuring wads of gum, located in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., unveiled on October 30 by advocates for science-based comprehensive sexual education. The display, organized by Advocates for Youth …

An essential safe sex guide for lesbian, bisexual and queer women

Everything you need to know about vulva-to-vulva sex. By Paisley Gilmour If you’re a lesbian, bisexual, pansexual or queer woman, or someone who has a vagina and sleeps with vagina-having people, it’s likely you haven’t had the sexual health education you need. School sex ed is so heteronormative that many of us never heard so …

Documenting the initiative helping disabled people explore sexuality

by Studio 1854 Simone Cerio won the ‘Hidden Worlds’ category in last year’s Wellcome Photography Prize for his year-long project documenting the practice of sexual assistance, helping people with disabilities to explore intimacy and sexuality in a therapeutic context. Six years ago, Simone Cerio came across a newspaper story that made him sit up and …

Think Your Child Might Be Questioning Their Gender Identity?

Get them willing to talk with these 5 tips You suspect your child is questioning their gender. You’re starting to pick up some clues, but what’s the next step? Should you approach your teen? Wait for them to come to you? Gender-questioning conversations can be difficult for caregivers. Pediatric endocrinologist Julia Cartaya, MD, discusses gender …

Wait, What? A Comic Book Guide to Relationships, Bodies, and Growing Up.

Is the Body-Affirming, Gender-Expansive Sex Ed Preteens Need By Adrian “Don’t worry, buddy. You’re right on time!” So says the weird platypus mascot of Wait, What? A Comic Book Guide to Relationships, Bodies, and Growing Up. It’s a message preteens need to hear as they navigate puberty, friendships, bodies, attraction, and the sticky mess of …

Ways of Being

Three new books explore the variety of transgender experiences. By Stephanie Burt Assigned one gender at birth, we’d felt like the other since childhood. That feeling—which had nothing to do with sexual desire—grew until life in the wrong gender seemed not worth living. So we came out as trans women or trans men to loved …

A queer user’s guide to the wild and terrifying world of LGBTQ dating apps

By Jon Shadel What’s the best queer dating app today? Many people, tired of swiping through profiles with discriminatory language and frustrated with safety and privacy concerns, say it isn’t a dating app at all. It’s Instagram. This is hardly a queer seal of approval for the social media platform. Instead, it’s a sign that, …